Akuma
by HippyKitty-Scratches
Summary: For the last four years, Maka Albarn has been studying and taking classes about the mysterious demons called 'akumas', capable of resonating with human souls. Now, at the age of sixteen, she has finished her schooling, and she is ready to train in the field with her own akuma partner. But as rumors of witches and kishins begin to circulate, can Maka and her friends keep Hoenn safe?
1. Littleroot

Maka clutched her fist around the handle of the large, black door. The faint sound of music and laughter drifted through the crack under the door. Sweat dropped from her forehead. She had been training and studying for years for this very moment, and every ounce of her being trembled in anticipation, as she prepared to meet her first akuma partner.

What would her partner be like? What type would he or she be? Questions inundated Maka's mind. "Just remember," she muttered to herself, "be brave and strong, like Mama is." Hesitantly, she threw open the door.

There were people scattered in clumps around the room. Soft jazz music hummed from a record player in the corner, ornate candles centered all the dining tables, and black and white streamers hung from the chandeliers. The amount of warm bodies was a bit overwhelming, so Maka shuffled over to the refreshments and chugged down several glasses of punch.

She slowed down at her third glass, looking around the room and observing her potential partners. In the center of the room, she could see her childhood friend Black Star, whooping and flailing his arms. She giggled to herself and let her gaze travel the corners of the room. Her eyes rested on a white-haired boy leaning against the wall by himself.

She inched her way closer to get a better look at him. Red eyes, prominent jawline, bored and irritated stare. He was probably a dark-type, maybe fire. Either way, she was intrigued.

She grabbed a second glass of punch and brought it over to him. "Want some punch?" she smiled. The white-haired boy hesitated a moment and accepted the drink, mumbling a thank you. "My name's Maka, Maka Albarn. What's your name?"

"Soul. Soul Eater."

"Soul Eater? 'Eater' is really your last name?"

"It is now."

"Oh… Okay," Maka stuttered. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Soul Eater!" She offered her hand to him. He stared at her hand for a long time before smiling and taking it. The two made idle small talk for a while. "So, do you have a partner yet?" she asked hesitantly. At his silence, she get nervous, afraid that she might have wasted all this time on someone that already had a partner.

"No," he finally answered. "I don't have a partner yet. Do you?"

"No, I don't either!" After a few moments of painfully awkward silence, Maka stomped her foot and nervously sputtered out, "Well, I think we should be partners! We've already spent the whole night talking to each other, and at this point, we wouldn't have enough time to get to know another partner." She huffed out a breath and crossed her arms, glaring at him for an answer.

Soul looked slightly frightened, but he changed into a detached demeanor, folding his arms behind his head. "Well, I guess since you're not as lame as all those other losers inside, we can be partners."

"What did you just say?" Maka growled.

"I said that you better feel lucky to be paired with an akuma like me. Most people would kill to be in your shoes."

"Listen here, _Soul Eater_ , I am the daughter of the prestigious _Kami Albarn_. I could get any akuma I wanted. I don't need _you_!" she snapped, jerking her hands to her hips. "Besides, you're probably a super lame akuma, not even worth an Albarn's time!"

The two growled and stared each other down. Admitting defeat, Soul folded his arms over his chest and looked away indignantly. "Whatever, flat-chest." He quickly received a whack over the head with Maka's left heel. "Hey! What was that for!?"

"For being such a boy!"

* * *

Maka fiddled with the corner of the page in her book. She had been waiting for Soul, Black Star, and Tsubaki for a little over an hour now. She vented out her frustration and impatience by reading her book faster and faster and with more intensity. By the time Soul was standing in front of her, ready to go, her nose was inches away from her book and her knuckles were white from gripping the binding.

"Uhh.. Maka?" Soul broke in. She jumped in her skin as her book flew from her grasp. Once she came back to reality, she snatched the book from the floor and smacked him across the face with it.

"Do you realize what time it is, Soul? It's almost ten in the morning! We were supposed to meet here at eight sharp!"

Soul rubbed the side of his cheek defensively, and looked like he wanted to scream at her and smack her in the face, too. But instead, he whined, "Look, this place isn't exactly the easiest in the world to find, okay?"

"It's not that hard," Maka nagged in defense. "You just follow Route 102 to Oldale Town. There are signs everywhere."

"All the trees look the same."

"What's wrong, Soul? Not quite the same as Lilycove?" she smirked. His face turned red and he mumbled under his breath. In the days leading up to their departure, Maka had persuaded Soul into meeting up multiple times throughout the day and getting to know each other. Once all the small talk was out of the way, they could truly get to know each other, and improve their level of resonance. They had shared details of their family, pastimes, dreams, passions, likes, dislikes, and little things in-between. Needless to say, Maka had learned that Soul was from upscale Lilycove. And she loved to use it against him.

They sat in comfortable silence, waiting for Black Star. She knew that he was the one soley responsible for both his and Tsubaki's tardiness. Maka had already taken out all of her anger on Soul's face, so when Black Star and Tsubaki finally arrived, she wasn't as irritated.

After double-checking all of their belongings, they set out towards Littleroot Town. The walk was short and simple, and they arrived in less than an hour. Littleroot Town was very small, especially compared to Maka's hometown in Rustboro. Several tiny houses were scattered around the settlement, but were eerily all at a reasonable distance from the laboratory. As they walked passed one of the houses, Soul reached down and picked a white flower, offering it to Maka with a smirk. She quickly scolded him for picking someone else's flower.

Maka tapped politely on the door to the laboratory. After a few seconds of waiting, Black Star began pounding on the door, chanting, "YOUR GOD IS HERE," "DON'T KEEP A BIG GUY LIKE ME WAITING," "DON'T BE AFRAID TO ANSWER THE DOOR FOR THIS MUCH AWESOMENESS!" Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki's expressions of embarrassment turned to horror as the wooden door gave way and splintered apart. A round man with a white lab coat leapt away from the door.

After a few moments of shock, Soul had to hold back Maka as she tried to swing wildly at Black Star. Black Star looked utterly humiliated, muttering that the professor should have had a more secure door put in, and Tsubaki bowed and apologized at least a million times.

Eventually, the professor hushed all of them and invited them inside, commenting that he was going to have a new door put in soon, anyway.

Due to her father working rather high up in the ATA, she had seen laboratories like these before. They were equipped with futuristic machines that were used to study resonance, and often held tiny akumas for specific experiments. All students that passed their knowledge training with the Akuma Taming Association, and were ready to move on to field training, had to visit Professor Birch in his laboratory to undergo their first resonance with their new akuma partner. Maka was itching to begin.

"So," Professor Birch started, "who would like to go first?"


	2. Resonance

"Me and Tsubaki will go first!" Black Star proudly proclaimed. Tsubaki nodded bashfully in agreement.

"Alright then, let us begin," Professor Birch chirped. "Black Star, please stand on the blue mark over there, and Tsubaki, please stand over here on the red one." Both did as they had been told. "Now, it is much easier for an akuma to resonate with a human than for a human to resonate with an akuma. We're still doing research into the subject, but for now, we have to take it as it is. Black Star and Maka, please watch closely at how a human and akuma achieve resonance." Professor Birch stood on a green mark on the floor, forming a triangle with Tsubaki and Black Star. "Tsubaki, please change into your akuma form."

Tsubaki smiled, "Of course, Professor!" Her body began to glow, and her form shrank to half its size. The light flashed brighter for a moment, and then vanished, leaving behind Tsubaki's akuma form. She was a short and slim, blue, two-legged dog-like creature. The dark fur around her face almost looked like a mask. She had a curved tail, a yellow collar, and stumpy ears. Tsubaki grinned and stretched, probably feeling comfortable in her true form.

"Woah, you're a lot shorter, Tsubaki!" Black Star barked.

Soul smirked and added, "She's barely shorter than you, idiot."

Black Star whirled to face Soul and retorted, "Hey! That just means that there's more concentrated awesomeness!"

"I'm surprised that Black Star even knows what 'concentrated' means," Maka muttered beside Soul. Soul bursted into laughter, and Black Star demanded that Soul tell his god what was so funny.

With a bit of an exasperated expression, Professor Birch brought them all back into focus. "Alright, it's time to get serious, kids. Resonance with an akuma can be very dangerous. Although most akumas today are docile and friendly, it must be kept close in mind that they are still demons. Once they have formed a connection with a human, and the two initiate resonance, there must be a balance in soul wavelengths. If the akuma is exerting more wavelengths, they could devour the human's soul. If the human's wavelength is more powerful, you could destroy the akuma's heart."

Maka perked up. "Heart? What do you mean by 'heart'?"

"Again, we're still trying to understand resonance and the way akumas are able to achieve it, but there seems to be a part of the akuma's being that affects resonance. We named it the 'heart' because it deals with emotions and bonds. We discovered it when we instructed one of our researchers to raise his output of soul wavelengths. When he did, the flux in power caused the akuma to lose control, and it attempted to devour the researcher's soul. It became permanently hostile, and had to be destroyed." At their horrified expressions, Professor Birch quickly added, "But there's nothing you kids need to worry about! I'm here to guide you into resonance with your partners, and I'll quickly step in if anything gets out of hand. Everything will be perfectly fine!"

"There's nothing to worry about!" Black Star boasted. "A big star like _me_ wouldn't break Tsubaki's heart, and there's no way _anyone_ would be able to overpower _my_ soul wavelengths!"

"Good! Then allow me to demonstrate resonance." Professor Birch turned towards the akuma-form of Tsubaki. "Tsubaki, please extend your wavelengths towards me." She nodded and began to focus, closing her eyes and extending her hand in the professor's direction. "As you all know, we can't visibly see wavelengths. But we are able to feel an akuma's wavelengths." He focused in on Tsubaki, and extended his hand towards her, as well. When their fingers touched, both became engulfed in a bright light.

Maka, Soul, and Black Star squinted against the brightness. When it faded, Tsubaki and Professor Birch had resonated into one being. It was at least a foot taller than Tsubaki's previous form. It was more refined and sturdy, with muscular arms and legs, a slimmer tail, and a spiked chest. Its ears were also more dog-like.

"WOW! You guys look amazing!" Black Star screeched.

The fused being giggled in Tsubaki's voice, but spoke in the professor's, "Tsubaki's resonance form is known as Lucario. It is a fighting and steel-type akuma, and specializes in hand-to-hand combat, wavelength punches, and wavelength sword style."

Black Star was practically drooling. Tsubaki and Professor Birch unfused to allow Black Star the chance to resonate with her. Professor Birch was able to sense their wavelengths, and he was constantly correcting Black Star, telling him to make his wavelengths remain static; Black Star's anticipation was making his wavelengths go all over the place. After at least a half hour, Black Star and Tsubaki were exhausted. And they had not been able to resonate.

Maka and Soul were up next, but Soul acted irritated at the idea of resonating. "Why are you being so difficult, Soul?" Maka snapped.

He folded his arms behind his head and turned away from her gaze. "I just don't think it's cool to do all this weird resonating stuff when all these people are watching you. It kind of ruins the vibes." After many failed attempts at forcing Soul to cooperate, Maka gave up.

It was late in the day at that time, so Professor Birch invited the group to stay the night at his laboratory. His assistant cooked a nice, warm meal for them, and then showed them to their room. It was obviously made for students of the ATA. There were three sets of bunkbeds lined up along the two sides of the wall, and a walk-in bathroom stood at the opposite end of the room from the door. Maka and Tsubaki took two bottom bunks next to each other on the left side, and Soul and Black Star took the right side. Soul stayed on the bottom bunk, entirely due to laziness, but Black Star pushed the other two sets of bunk beds on the right side together, making one larger bed, and slept on the top.

* * *

After they had all calmed down and were getting ready to sleep, Maka pulled out paper and a pencil. She began to write to her mother. _"Dear Mom, I'm so excited to be here in Littleroot, learning about resonance! I know I have a long way to go to be as good as you, but I promise to try my hardest. But right now, Soul is being really-"_

"Hey, Maka." She leapt in her skin. She turned to see Soul squatting on the floor next to her bed. _This guy really needs to stop distracting me when I'm trying to focus._

"What?"

"I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"Dunno, just can't."

"Well, try harder."

"Dammit, Maka." She looked up from her paper. Soul looked incredibly tired for someone that was having trouble sleeping. That's when it dawned on her: _Soul's upset about something_. He looked uncomfortable on the floor, so Maka invited him to sit on the bed next to her. When she asked him what was wrong, he stared at his hands, visibly struggling to open up and be vulnerable with her.

"It's okay, Soul. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He exhaled and looked her in the eyes for a moment. "It's not that I don't want to, Maka. I just don't know what to say. It's all pretty uncool." He smirked at her annoyed expression. "I really just have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds. These bunk beds are super hard, and I can't get comfortable."

"So you're more of a soft and fluffy kind of guy?" Maka joked.

Soul blushed and his folded his arms. "A bed is a place of rest and recovery. It should be comfortable."

Maka patted the bed. "It's comfortable to me."

"Yeah, well your fat ankles and flat chest make it easier for you to get comfortable."

Before Maka could smack him with her pillow, Black Star jumped up between Maka and Tsubaki's bed, screaming, "Assassin's Rule number One! Blend into the shadows! Control your breathing, and-"

Maka smacked Black Star with her pillow instead. Tsubaki had fallen off on the other side of the bed, and she was now peering over the edge to glare at Black Star. "Black Star! What was that for?!"

He smirked and answered, "That's an obvious one, Tsubaki! That lesson the professor gave us earlier was for weaklings. I couldn't have resonated with you then, because it would have been an insult to my true strength and awesomeness. So instead, we're gonna sneak out, and go practice our resonance somewhere worthy of a god."

Soul and Maka were already in their respective beds with the covers yanked over their heads.

* * *

Tired of hearing Black Star's rants, Tsubaki, Maka, and Soul found themselves following Black Star as they all snuck out of the window of their bunkroom and into the cool night. Littleroot was still a little eerie, but after dark, it had a peaceful, homey feel to it. The lack of streetlights made the sky perfectly clear; there had to be at least a billion stars above them.

Black Star led them all the way to Route 103. The moon was high in the sky, and wispy clouds loomed overhead. They came to a clearing in the forest. There was a small lake, with another bank on the other side, and small berry trees. Maka and Tsubaki dipped their legs in the lake while Soul and Black Star stuffed their faces.

"This wasn't such a bad idea after all, Black Star," Soul admitted, his mouth full of purple berries. "Not only did the walk make my head feel better, now my stomach feels better, too!"

"This water sure feels nice, too!" Tsubaki agreed. "It's the perfect temperature. You guys should come try it out!" Black Star bounded over and joined the girls. Soul sat beside them, but kept his shoes on, mumbling about how 'uncool' it was to stick your bare feet into dirty lake water.

Maka checked the time on her Pokétch. It was already well after twelve in the morning, and they were supposed to be up at eight to resume their resonance training. "I think we should head back now, guys. It's getting kind of late." After many proclamations of "gods don't need sleep," Black Star was eventually convinced to leave, and the four of them began to head back.

When they were getting near the clearing to Oldale Town, they heard a couple of voices. Under normal circumstances, Maka wouldn't have been alarmed, but something about the vibes that their souls gave off made her grab her friends and yank them behind some bushes. The four watched as two figures passed by. Both wore red clothing, bulky boots and gloves, and horned hoods. Large, black M's were imprinted on the front of their shirts.

After they were slowly leaving view, Maka waved the other three to follow her as they quietly made their escape. "What? You want us to sneak away!?" Black Star blurted out. Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki face-palmed as the two hooded figures quickly made their way back to investigate.

One was an average-looking male, tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. The other was a slender, curvy female with purple hair and eyes. "Who's there?" the woman asked. "We are Team Magma. We demand you show yourselves."

Black Star hopped out of the bushes and yelled, "I'm here! Black Star, the greatest and most powerful assassin to ever live!"

"Interesting… Hm… This one seems strong.. but not exactly smart… You," the woman addressed to Black Star. "You are interfering with official Magma business. Leave now or prepare to be engaged."

"No way am I leaving! My buddy Maka said she got bad vibes from you guys, so now it's up to me, Black Star, to stop you guys from doing.. whatever it is you're doing!" Maka sank further into the bushes.

"Hm? Interesting. Show yourself, 'buddy Maka.'" Soul and Maka attempted to back away and make a run for it, but the bushes suddenly ignited. The three of them had to leap into the open to avoid being burned. When Maka looked up, she saw that the fire had come from the tall man. He was an akuma. "Ah, I see," the woman remarked. She evaluated the three of them in turn, seeming to grow more and more satisfied, stopping at Maka. "Hm… This one is interesting… It requires a bit more research… Oliver!" she commanded the tall man.

He quickly came to her side, and the two began to glow, initiating a resonance. They merged into a four-legged, foxlike creature. It had golden fur, scarlet eyes, and nine, long tails. The woman's voice spoke, "I am Courtney, admin of Team Magma, and I am commencing my experiment.

The group hardly had time to think before the fox-creature lunged at them. It swung its tails, knocking back Tsubaki and Maka. Soul attempted to use his Roar attack to make the creature flee, but it turned its assault on him, plunging its fangs into his shoulder, producing a bloodcurdling shout. Black Star took the opportunity to punch the fox with the full force of his fist, knocking it away from Soul.

Tsubaki appeared in her akuma form as she dove for the fox. She swung and kicked rapidly, barely missing each shot as the fox nimbly dodged all of her attacks. Suddenly, the fox jumped back, putting space between it and Tsubaki, and unleashed a powerful stream of flames. Tsubaki prepared to take the damage, but Black Star leapt in the way, shielding her body with his back.

When the flames ceased, Black Star crouched near to Tsubaki, and she gripped him by his shoulders. "Black Star!" she shrieked. "Black Star, are you okay!?"

He put his hands on her arms and mumbled, "I'm fine, Tsubaki. It's gonna take a lot more than that to stop a big star like me. Let's show them what we came here for, Tsubaki. Let's show them our resonance!" She nodded proudly, and the two dissolved into a bright light. Lucario quickly appeared, ready and eager for battle. It charged after the fox.

While Lucario and the fox exchanged blows, Maka pushed herself up and stumbled over to Soul. "Soul! Your shoulder!"

"I'm fine, Maka," he interjected before she could get a close look at it. "We can't worry about me right now. We have to help Tsubaki and Black Star, or else we'll all end up being charred meat."

"Are you sure you're ready for resonance? Before, you refused to-"

"There's no room for refusal now, Maka. Our lives depend on it. Come on!" Before she could protest or express any more concern, he grabbed her hand and stared intently into her eyes. She nodded and tightened her grip around his. The two began to glow brightly.

Maka hadn't been sure how resonance would feel. It was a little nauseating, but in a thrilling way. For a moment, it felt like she was being thrown high into the air, but as she came down, she became very aware of Soul's soul. It felt like his hand was gently grasping her heart, and she gripping his. _Maybe this is what the Professor meant by the balance of soul wavelengths, and the akuma's heart_ , she wondered.

 _Maybe_ , she heard Soul reply.

She was startled a bit, as she was not expecting a reply. Maka had learned in her classes that the minds of the human and the akuma became united, so she knew that the two of them would be able to hear each other's thoughts, but all of that knowledge goes out the window when resonance is actually in practice. Especially when your first resonance is done unsupervised while fending off a strange, hostile, purple-haired woman.

As the light faded, their resonance realized. They had become a four-legged, wolf-like creature. It had a long, sleek, black mane, a fluffy tail, piercing red and yellow eyes, and floppy ears. Movement was a bit awkward, but the two quickly adjusted. Maka was able to control the fusion's movements and physical attacks, and Soul could control the elemental and magical attacks. They quickly joined in the fight.

Lucario dove in for a punch, but the fox evaded, releasing a powerful flamethrower. Lucario strafed to the side to avoid the flames. _Let's help Black Star and Tsubaki_ , Soul advised. _We can blast the fox's flames with my Dark Pulse._ Maka quickly agreed, and she dashed behind Lucario as it came around for another blow at the fox. When the fox casted more fire, Soul blasted the flames with Dark Pulse, exploding in the fox's face. Lucario dove in. Before the fox could recover, Lucario landed a fierce blow to the fox's face, Black Star's voice yelling, "Mach Punch!"

The fox was knocked to its side. It struggled to get up, and made no move to attack again. "… It seems you four are stronger than you appear…" Courtney admitted. "I would love to stay and properly dissect the… situation… but I must fulfill my orders… to my master… When we meet again, it shall not be in your favor." A bright, harsh light blinded the four of them, and when the light faded, the fox was gone.


	3. Petalburg Woods

"I see…" Professor Birch mumbled to himself. "And you're certain that there were red M's on their outfits?" The group nodded. He had a worried and puzzled expression. "I've heard rumors of a group called 'Team Magma,' but I thought they were just rumors. I need to report this to headquarters… Anyway! It seems you kids had quite an exciting night. Moreover, you all seemed to have performed resonance perfectly! I supposed I'll count it as your first resonance exam-"

"Yahoo!" Black Star yelped. "I told ya we just needed somewhere worthy of a god!"

"Really? Thank you so much, Professor!" Maka and Tsubaki chided in together.

"It's nothing, really!" he blushed in embarrassment. "If those two really were Team Magma, then you four were very fortunate to leave with your lives. You definitely deserve it." He glanced at his watch for a moment and blushed. "I don't mean to rush you all out, but I have a date with my wife in a couple of hours! Also, Spirit of Petalburg City said that he'd love to meet all of you!"

Maka cringed.

* * *

"Maka, why are you being so difficult?" Soul groaned. The four of them had been traveling for a couple of hours now, and the entire time, Maka had been making comments, suggesting that they avoid stopping in Petalburg. "Spirit offered to let us stay the night at his place. And in case you haven't noticed, the sun has almost set."

She huffed and pooched out her lower lip. "Why _should_ we stay with him? He sounds like a weird, creepy, old man."

"You don't know that for sure, Maka," Tsubaki insisted. "We should at least give him a chance! He might actually be a nice guy!"

"Any guy that'll give you a free place to spend the night is a nice guy in my book!" Black Star blurted. Maka groaned loudly but quit complaining, accepting her fate.

* * *

Petalburg had a quaint feel like Littleroot. It was a relatively small city surrounded by trees. There were two small lakes on either side of the town, a few sparse houses and shops, and Spirit's temporary residence: the Petalburg Training Coliseum.

Some of the larger cities and towns in Hoenn had a Training Coliseum, where ATA students could participate in combat with their peers, demonstrating their progress and improvements. The coliseums had to be challenged in a specific order. Whenever a student defeated the coliseum, they received a badge, and became eligible to challenge the next coliseum.

Maka and Soul would have to come back here and challenge Spirit one day. Maybe. Hopefully not.

Before Black Star could start banging on the door, a flash of red hair pushed him aside and bolted towards Maka. His arms were around her before she could attempt to flee. "Makaaaaa!" the man squealed.

Soul, Tsubaki, and Black Star watched in a mixture of discomfort and curiosity as the red-haired man rubbed his face up against Maka's and continued to coo her name. "Uhh.. Maka? Who is this guy?" Soul questioned.

Maka sighed irritably. "This is my father. Spirit _Albarn_ ," she hissed.

Once the connection hit, Black Star roared in laughter. "You mean _this guy_ is your _dad_ , Maka? Now I see where you get it from!"

 _"What's that supposed to-"_

"Which one of you is my darling daughter's partner?" Spirit broke in, adopting a serious and deadly tone.

Soul raised his hand. "Uh, it's me."

Spirit whirled around on him. " _You_ , huh? What's your name?"

"Soul."

"Soul _what_?"

"Soul _Eater_ ," he growled impatiently.

" _Eater_ , is it? Strange. You remind me a lot of another young man I used to know. But his last name wasn't _Eater_ ," Spirit commented smugly.

"Papa," Maka grumbled. "You should show my friends and me to the guest rooms."

"Sure thing, Maka darling!" he called to her cheerily before turning back to Soul. "You hurt Maka, and I will kill you," he muttered. "Coming Makaaaaaa!"

"What a loser," Soul mumbled to himself before following the rest of them into the building.

The lobby looked like what you might find in a fancy hotel: polished floors, mahogany furniture, bright flowers, etc. "The front part of the Petalburg Coliseum is like a hotel," Spirit confirmed. "We want to give our guests a feeling of comfort and rest, so they'll be more at ease and confidant in their stay here. But you guys will get to stay in my special suite!" Maka visibly cringed.

They walked passed the lobby and through a slick, black door labeled "Staff Only." The walls were a dull white, and seemed to go on forever. They eventually reached another smaller, plainer lobby, which included a small lunch and refreshment bar. They exited the lobby to the left, and were met by another slick door- this time with the label "Albarn."

"This is it, kids!" The door opened into a small living room and kitchen combo. All of the furniture was in shades of black, white, and red, and there were red roses scattered around the bars and tables. "When I heard that my precious Maka was coming to visit, I had all these roses delivered especially for her!"

Maka didn't know it was possible to cringe so much in one day. Before her father could shove multiple bouquets in her face, she quickly skipped ahead towards the hallway. "That's great, Papa. But I think my friends and I should get settled in and all first," she urged.

"Oh, of course! Silly me!" he beamed. "You kids go ahead and make yourselves at home, and I'll have supper ready soon~!" They all started down the hallway when they heard Spirit add in, "Don't forget: _boys and girls in opposite rooms_!"

"Yeah, yeah," Maka huffed.

* * *

"So, what do you think of Soul?" Maka dropped her brush.

" _What?"_

Tsubaki blushed lightly and giggled. "I meant as a partner, silly."

"Oh…" Maka blushed in embarrassment. "I mean, he's okay, I guess. I haven't really had time to get to know him as an akuma. He seemed pretty competent when we were facing those Magma crooks, though."

"But do you think you guys will be able to get along, as people? I mean, do you think you two work well together?"

"I guess we're going to find out," Maka sheepishly admitted. Her expression turned more serious and concerned and she added, "I guess we'll find out about you and Black Star, too. I don't see how he could really get along with anybody."

Tsubaki giggled again. "He's definitely different. But I think he and I will get along fine."

Maka smiled. "I hope so."

* * *

Maka shifted uncomfortably under her father's obvious and obnoxious gaze. The five of them were sitting around the small dining table, and Spirit had placed him and Maka at opposite ends, making it easy for him to ogle her without making it too noticeable. Of course, he found a way to make it noticeable to everyone at the table, and there was an awkward silence among them.

Tsubaki was the first to break the ice. "You really are a good cook, Mr. Albarn!"

He broke away from his focus on Maka to beam at Tsubaki. "You really think so? I'm so happy to hear you say that! My little Maka takes after me when it comes to cooking, you know. When you're out on the road, you should try to convince her to give you guys a sample!"

Black Star roared in laughter again. "Maka? _Cooking_? That's hilarious!" He pounded his fist on the table for emphasis.

"Why's it so hilarious?" she growled.

"Because, I never thought Maka would be into something so _girly_! The Maka I grew up with loved fighting and bugs and dirt and toy guns!" His laughter went up an octave.

"Oh, my Maka was definitely a tomboy," Spirit agreed in a lovey-dovey voice. "But whenever she came to visit me when she was little, she always wanted to bake little cupcakes and play dress-up with her Papa!"

Black Star's face was red with laughter now, and he fell over in his chair. Maka was trembling with sheer rage, Spirit was ogling Maka, Soul was slightly terrified, and Tsubaki was staring down at her plate. The awkward silence resumed.

* * *

"What's the deal with your dad?" Soul asked. After her father had passed out in his room, Maka and Tsubaki had sneaked in to the boys' room, and all four of them now sprawled out on the floor. Tsubaki was patiently listening to Black Star brag about his muscles, and Soul was talking in a low murmur, so only Maka could hear him.

"It's a long story," she answered numbly.

"I understand."

Soul's eyes slightly dilated, and Maka had to turn her face towards the ceiling to distract herself from the realization that she would have never noticed it if she hadn't been staring at him so intently. _Wait…_ she pondered. _Was that.._ _concern_ _?_

"If it makes you feel better, I don't have the best relationship with my family, either," he added, so softly, that if she hadn't been focused on his existence, she would have missed it. She turned her face towards him again, but he was staring at the ceiling, too, and his eyes were in a far off place. She wanted to pick his mind. She wanted to know this white-haired, sharp-toothed boy. But he seemed to have distanced himself again, so she held herself back.

"Thanks," she whispered.

* * *

Maka smiled and waved as Black Star and Tsubaki headed out towards Route 104. They had decided to part ways for their journey, partly because it would help them focus on growing their individual partnerships, and partly (mostly) because Maka and Black Star couldn't agree on anything.

Maka was twirling her pigtails absentmindedly when Soul walked up behind her. "I'm ready," he mumbled. She jumped in surprise.

"Sooooul!"

"What?"

"You need to stop sneaking up on me like that!" she pouted.

He huffed in mock irritation. She was cute when she pouted. "Whatever. I can't help that my partner gets so lost in books and writings and thoughts and other lame stuff like that."

"Well _I_ can't help it that _my_ partner doesn't know how to tell when someone is preoccupied."

"Ugh, enough with the complaining. Can't we just hurry up and start towards Rustboro?"

" _Fine_ ," Maka huffed. "I wanna beat Black Star to the first Coliseum, anyway."

They entered Route 104. On the Petalburg side of the route, there was a small field that sloped down into a beachfront, where several children were building sand castles and splashing each other with water. Past the field, the land sloped up to a small cottage, with a dock and boat looming off to the side of the beach. Maka and Soul continued passed the cottage.

A line of trees stood in their way, with a small opening inviting them to enter; it was Petalburg Woods. It was a scary place at night. Luckily, for them, it was midday. Petalburg Woods was a winding, wooded path, and if you didn't pay close attention to the signs, you could easily get lost.

"This is so uncool," Soul whined. "Why can't they just make a straight path from one end to the other? Why does it have to be so winding and easy to get lost?"

"That would take away from the magic of it!" Maka answered sarcastically. "I never realized that you hated traveling outside so much. Maybe you should just go back to Lilycove."

"But then you wouldn't have a partner anymore, and you'd have to wait until next year's graduation, or hope that there's another partner-less loser out there like you."

 _Okay. That's actually a good point_ , Maka thought. "Being partner-less would probably be better than being partners with you," she grumbled to herself, since she couldn't come up with a witty comeback.

They continued in mostly silence- aside from the occasional complain from Soul. They passed a sign that read "Halfway", and Soul sighed in relief. Maka advised that they should take a short break, but Soul complained again, and won her over by commenting that it would only decrease her chances of beating Black Star to the Coliseum. She inwardly cringed at the idea that Soul was actually figuring out her weak points.

When they walked on a few more yards, they began to hear distant yelling. Maka and Soul picked up their pace to see what the commotion was about. There was a man dressed in a navy-blue suit, holding a briefcase, caught between two women. They were exactly identical; both had pink hair, pale skin, and were dressed in blue and white striped clothing, with grey bandanas that had bone-shaped A's on them.

"Give us the briefcase!" one of the women shouted, and she yanked him by the collar of his shirt.

"Please!" the man begged. "I'll give you all the money you could ever want! Just don't take my briefcase!"

"Hey!" Maka shouted. All three of them turned to her. "Who do you two think you are? Leave that man alone!"

The two women snickered and let go of the man, making him collapse to the ground. "We're two of the Mizune sisters," one of them answered.

"But you can just call us members of Team Aqua!" the other answered.

"Team Aqua?" Soul repeated. "You think they're somehow related to Team Magma?" he pondered to Maka.

"No," the first Mizune sister answered. "Team Magma has its own individual agenda. And although we're ideally seeking the same thing, our reasonings and methods are different."

"But enough of that," the second sister concluded. "We can't have two kids meddling in our official business. We'll just have to get rid of you." The two sisters interlocked fingers and began to glow.

"Maka!" Soul yelled.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" she agreed. Maka and Soul began their resonance into the wolf-like creature from the night before. The Mizune sisters transformed into a large, tawny-colored rodent with long, spiked whiskers and strong, sharp incisors.

It let loose an onslaught of attacks, like Quick Attack, Bite, and Pursuit. Maka and Soul dodged a stray Hyper Fang, and sweat-dropped when it tore right through a large, heavy tree. They continued to dodge all of the Mizunes' attacks, unable to find an opening to get a hit on the sisters.

 _What should we do, Maka?_ Soul asked as they evaded another Hyper Fang.

 _I'm not sure,_ she admitted. _These two are quick, and are definitely very experienced with resonance… Do you know any accuracy-lowering techniques?_

 _Actually, I remember learning one called Sand Attack. You think it'll help?_

 _It's our only option at this point, unless we want to be chewed right through._

 _Alright, let's do it!_ Maka ducked away when the Mizunes came in with another Quick Attack. She quickly spun around and scraped her claws across the ground, and Soul kicked up a cloud of dirt and sand, landing right in the Mizunes' eyes when they spun around to attack again.

Seeing their hesitation, Maka charged forward and bared her fangs. Purple sparks lit her mouth as Soul prepared a Bite attack. When the fangs sank into the Mizunes' side, they let out a pained yelp, and began flailing, trying to knock off Maka and Soul.

 _Soul! Use Dark Pulse!_ Maka frantically ordered. Soul obeyed, and let loose a black blast of dark energy from their mouth. It was a direct and critical hit, and the Mizunes were sent flying into a tree. Maka and Soul's fusion growled at the crumpled figure.

Without warning, the Mizunes sat up and used Roar. It caused Maka and Soul to be forcefully unfused, and the two of them fell hard on their backs, knocking the wind out of them. Before they could recover, the Mizune fusion bolted for the man and snatched the suitcase with its incisors. It quickly disappeared into the foliage.

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for all the scene jumps; I wanted to add in more personal interaction between the characters, especially Maka and Soul. (SPOILER: I do plan to ship Soul x Maka, but it'll be a slow burn, because they still don't know each other very well yet in my story. They're also in their later teens, so it's mainly slight physical attraction at this point.) Thanks for reading!**


	4. Rusturf Tunnel

"That was one powerful Roar," Soul groaned.

"Yeah," Maka agreed. She winced as she sat up. "It's too bad your Roar couldn't have worked that well on that Magma woman from last night." She looked over her shoulder at the man in the suit. "Are you okay? Anything hurt?"

He snapped back to reality and rushed over to her. "Oh, no, I'm fine. They didn't hurt me, thanks to you two. But are you guys okay? That was a nasty and dirty last resort."

"I'm fine," she strained. "Are you okay, Soul?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, too." He clutched his shoulder as he strode over to offer her a hand up.

 _His shoulder… Being knocked to the ground probably reopened the wounds…_

"I'm very grateful to you two for saving me," the man exclaimed, "but I'm afraid that I don't have time to reward you at the moment. I have to hurry and go get back my briefcase!" He charged after the Mizunes without another word.

Maka glanced at Soul's shoulder, but opted not to ask. "We should go, too," she resolved. "We can't keep getting knocked on our butts, and those Mizunes stole that briefcase. We need to do what's right."

Soul grunted in agreement. "Yeah, but we need to alert the authorities as well. Our job is akuma training and research. We don't have to save the world or anything, Maka. Calm down," he mocked as he playfully punched her shoulder. She smirked behind his back.

* * *

Rustboro City finally appeared in the distance. Maka wiped her sweat-smeared bangs out of her face and sighed in relief when a cool breeze caught her forehead. "I will never understand why Petalburg Woods is so humid," she grumbled aloud.

"Shouldn't you be used to it?" Soul pointed out. "You grew up in Rustboro, right?"

Maka grunted rebelliously. "So what? Doesn't mean I like the humidity…"

It was well into the evening before they passed through the city gates. Tall lampposts with craning necks lit the main street that ran straight through Rustboro. Maka led them to a rest stop in the center of town and checked in. "I'll meet up with you at the room. I'll go and tell the authorities about the man with the briefcase." Soul nodded and headed towards the elevator.

Maka fidgeted with her greasy bangs as she mindlessly trotted towards the police station. She froze and scrunched up her face at the sight of her old teacher Sid leaning back in the chair at the front desk. "Um... Professor Sid?" she tried.

He snapped out of his trance and noticed her standing in front of him, shooting up straight in the chair. "Oh! Maka! Didn't see you there! How are ya?"

She giggled lightly. "I'm fine Professor Sid. My akuma partner and I just got into town. I actually came by here to report an assault and theft in Petalburg Woods."

"Really? What happened?" Maka recounted the event with the Mizunes. Sid leaned back in the chair and thought to himself for a moment. "That's very interesting…" he mumbled finally.

"Is there something significant with what happened?" Maka prodded.

He glanced up at her quickly before turning towards the computer at his desk. She heard light footsteps behind her that began to disappear somewhere off to the right. He waited until the footsteps were barely whispers before slowly answering, "It's still technically classified information, but we've been having a lot of similar reports lately, and we think there's something going on underground. There have been rumors of witches." He paused a long time again, but Maka didn't chance a look behind her. "I can't tell you much. Lord Death doesn't want to worry the public- or his apprentices- when we still aren't certain what's really going on."

Maka played Sid's words repeatedly in her head as she shuffled back to the rest stop. She had heard of witches before; every ATA apprentice learned about them during their classroom sessions. Witches were a special class of akuma, unable to perform resonance with humans, and ingrain with powerful magical powers. Research was still being done into what exactly causes these differences, but little is known. Now they are found only in fairytales.

 _Sid basically just confirmed that witches_ are _real, and that they're a real threat_ , Maka surmised. _I don't know if I should tell Soul though, he-_

Her thoughts were interrupted as she swung open the door to their room to find a towel-clad Soul standing unassumingly in front of the TV with a toothbrush jutting loosely from his mouth. "SOUUUULLLL!"

* * *

Maka sank her flustered face further into the warm bath water and burbled out small soapy bubbles into the foam. Soul had been so transfixed on some nerdy show that he hadn't heard her raps on the door. He was quickly beat back into the bathroom, and scolded through the door until he emerged fully clothed and red from embarrassment.

She blushed a deep red upon remembering the sleek curve of his stomach, barely contained in his towel. Three swift bangs on the bathroom door jolted her free from her fantasy. "Maka," Soul's muffled voice called, "can you hurry up? I need to pee."

"Was it really necessary to specify that?" she shot back. "Can't you ever just say that you have to go to the bathroom?" When there was no response, she sank back into the water. _Those Mizunes…_ she thought _. I hope that they are brought to justice_.

* * *

The next day, Soul and Maka decided to go and investigate what had become of the Mizunes. Upon arriving at the police station, they discovered that it was empty. "That's strange," Soul commented. "You'd think that they'd always have at least one person on duty here."

"Yeah, you're right," Maka agreed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

They continued down the long streets of Rustboro. Tall buildings loomed over them on either side, and hurried people bumped and elbowed past them, irritating Soul. The longer they walked, the more anxious they both became. The streets seemed to go on endlessly. Even though Maka had lived here her whole life, everything seemed bigger, colder, more aggressive. And Maka was well versed in aggression.

When caught in a crowd waiting for the crosswalk light to change, Soul lightly tugged Maka's sleeve to get her attention. "Don't things feel kinda off to you?" he murmured in her ear.

Once she got over the initial shiver caused by his close proximity and warm breath on her neck, she nodded in agreement. "I don't like it. We should head over to the ATA. Now. Fast."

They turned and wiggled their way out of the crowd. Right as they were about to turn down the street that led to the Akuma Taming Association headquarters, hands grabbed Maka and Soul from behind. They both spun around ready to fight, but halted when they recognized the man's face. It was the man from Petalburg Woods.

"You!" Maka gasped. "How are you? Are you okay? Did you ever find the Mizunes?"

The man bent over to catch his breath. It wasn't until then that Soul and Maka noticed the sweat and redness in his face. He must have been running to catch up with them. "I'm so sorry to be bothering you two," he panted out. "I'm afraid that's why I scared you. I found the Mizunes, but every time I try to get close, they blast me back with that Roar attack of theirs. I went to the police station to ask for help, but no one was there. I have no idea where else to turn! Please help me!"

Maka and Soul glanced at each other and nodded. "We'll help you out," Soul affirmed. "Just tell us where they went."

"The man's face brightened into a grateful smile. "Oh! You will? Thank you so much!" He quickly shook Maka and Soul's hands. "My name is Mr. Devon, by the way. You two have no idea what your help means to me! I can show you where they went; this way!"

* * *

Maka peered into the dark cave. "You're sure they're in here?" Mr. Devon had led them to a cave north of Rustboro City. It was at the edge of a field of tall grass, and a small sign near the entrance read, "Rusturf Tunnel: Construction Temporarily Discontinued."

"I'm positive," Mr. Devon answered. "I can still hear their wicked laughter in my mind."

"Don't worry then; Maka and I will handle it for you."

When first stepping into the cave, the dim lighting made Maka and Soul peer nervously into the abyss in front of them. But as their eyes adjusted, they could make out the formations of the rocks around them, and the entanglement of wires and digging equipment. Soul eventually found an electric torch among the mess.

"So why did they stop working on the tunnel?" he asked as they crunched down the rocky path.

"Probably because of the wildlife that live in the caves. When the idea was first proposed to construct the tunnel, a lot of people protested it, and I guess they finally got their way. And it was so close to being completed," Maka answered.

"Makes sense," he shrugged.

After a little bit of walking, Maka heard the sound of voices in the distance. "Soul, the light."

He switched it off, and they crept up behind a large drilling machine that was leaning against the cave wall. Ahead, the two Mizune sisters were talking back and forth. Their conversation sounded irritated and rushed. As Maka and Soul continued to crawl forward, hopping behind objects, they were able to make out some words.

"- today. We don't have time to get cornered in this cave. Medusa is expecting us," one sister vented.

Soul glanced at Maka, who shrugged her shoulders.

"I know, but we didn't have much of a choice," the other answered. "Those kids probably got their buddies at the ATA, and would have found us in the city. We could go back to Route 115, and cut through Meteor Falls."

"Hmm… That could work," the first reasoned. "But it'd be best to wait until nightfall."

"Agreed."

 _Crash_.

Maka whipped her head around to see Soul's face of horror as he fumbled to catch the various machine parts that had begun falling to the cave floor. She could _kill_ him.

"Who's there?" one of the Mizunes asked. When neither Soul nor Maka responded, a stack of boxes further ahead blew back in shards from a powerful Roar attack. Not wanting to get crushed under heavy machines, Maka finally jumped out into the open.

"It's me, the girl from yesterday. And you need to give back that stolen briefcase."

The sisters smirked. "Oh, _you_ two," one of the sisters mocked as Soul planted himself firmly beside Maka. "Too afraid to face us head-on, huh?"

"I'm not surprised," the other remarked. "I'd hide, too, if I had gotten beaten as badly as you guys."

Soul clenched his jaw, but Maka took a step forward. "We underestimated you two before, but we won't do that again. This time, it'll be you two that get beaten."

The sisters snickered. "We'll see about that!" they challenged. The two quickly melded into their rat-like resonance.

"Let's go, Soul!"

"Right behind you, Maka!" The two formed into their wolf resonance.

Right from the start the sisters barreled towards them with a Quick Attack. Maka and Soul dodged by inches. _Let's use Sand Attack again. We need to get quick leverage in this fight_ , Maka directed.

 _On it_ , Soul answered. When the Mizunes sped towards them again, Maka caught their tail in her jaws and yanked them back, digging her left paw into the ground. Soul sent up a thick cloud of dust in the Mizunes face before they could jerk free.

"Is that the only way you two could even stand a chance against us?" the Mizunes hissed as they scratched at their eyes.

 _They have a point…_ Maka commented.

 _They attacked and robbed a man, Maka. Their point is invalid._

 _Well, either way, we should probably focus on longer ranged attacks. Those fangs are dangerous up close._

Maka dodged another Quick Attack. The Mizunes spun and launched themselves off the side of the cave, making their next Quick Attack even faster, and it rammed right into Maka and Soul's side. They were slammed into the other wall.

Maka groaned and pulled them up on all fours. _C'mon, Maka!_ Soul urged. She shook off the pain and leapt back into the fight. The Mizunes had switched to close range attacks, exactly what Maka was trying to avoid. They lashed out with their teeth and claws.

As Maka dodged their last attack, the Mizunes drew back. "Avoiding all of our attacks, huh? Let's see how you like this then!" The sisters began to glow in a yellow light, and shot forward a bright stream of electricity. When Maka strafed to avoid being hit, the lightning followed and landed against her side, sending searing pain throughout her body.

The sisters laughed as she struggled to rise up. "See, what did we tell you?" they taunted.

 _Maka, are you okay?_ Soul panicked.

 _I'll be fine,_ Maka strained _. Just give me the best Dark Pulse that you've got_.

 _I'll do whatever my meister asks of me._

Maka dug her claws into the ground and righted herself. "Laugh all you want," she answered. "You haven't seen the best of me!"

She took off towards the sisters. They bared their fangs in defiance. When Maka got in close, the Mizunes lunged forward with a powerful Hyper Fang. Maka ducked to avoid the attack, and then caught their neck with her fangs, bearing down hard with a Bite.

 _Now!_ she called as the rat-like beast roared in pain.

Soul responded with a powerful Dark Pulse. It sent the sisters flying through the air, and as they crashed into a stack of boxes, their resonance released, revealing two, smaller, purple rodents.

When Maka charged forward to finish them, a bright light blinded her in her tracks. "You haven't seen the last of us!" one of the sisters chanted. When the light faded, they were gone.

Maka and Soul broke the resonance. "I can't believe they got away," Soul groaned. "I would have thoroughly enjoyed standing over them and gloating."

"I would have enjoyed seeing them behind bars," Maka added. "But I suppose making them turn on their heels and run will suffice." She found the briefcase further along the cave and brought it to her chest. "Let's get this back to Mr. Devon and-"

"Maka!" Soul lunged forward and caught her as she fell forward.

"I'm alright," she moaned. When she moved to stand back up, Soul knelt down and picked her up off her feet. "Soul!" she complained.

"Look, you're really hurt from the fight," he pointed out. "Just shut up and let me help you. You can be Ms. Independent when your thigh isn't gushing blood." Maka scoffed but conceded.

As he carried her through the rest of the tunnel, she quietly observed his face. The Mizunes' attacks had affected him, too. He had a large burn under his chin, probably from that electric attack. Maka decided that when they were done with this, she would ask one of the professors at the HQ what kind of electric attack follows its target. She was embarrassed that she hadn't studied attacks more.

"You're staring at me," Soul acknowledged.

Maka blushed in embarrassment. "I was looking at the burn under your chin. You're hurt, too. You shouldn't be worrying so much about me."

"Most people just say 'thank you.'"

"I can take care of myself."

"Good for you, Maka."

"You can set me down any time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Soul."

"What, Maka?"

"What is your akuma form called? I've never seen your true form, and I don't recognize the resonance, and I'd really like to know."

"You can call it whatever you want. I don't care."

"Soul, why won't you ever just tell me?"

"Then that'd ruin the mystery and suspense."

"It must not be very cool."

"Says the one with fat ankles."

"You're mature, Soul."

He smirked down at her, and as they exited the cave, the soft sunset got tangled in his messy, dirty hair, and Maka had to catch her breath for a second and look away in embarrassment. She was _not_ going to find her akuma partner attractive. Nope. Nada.

When they crossed into the Rustboro City limits, Mr. Devon was waiting by a lamppost, and he quickly ran over to them. "Oh my! Are you okay!?"

"I'm fine," Maka croaked. The long trek to and from Rusturf Tunnel and the fight with the Mizunes had left her parched. She handed over the briefcase.

"You got back my briefcase! Wow!" he chirped excitedly. "I'm forever in your debt. Please, allow me to return the favor! Let me help get you to the hospital; I can pay for your visit and any treatment that you need."

"That's very kind of you," Maka started, "but we'll be okay. We just need to head back to our hotel room and clean up and rest."

"Are you sure? I'm more than willing to compensate you. You two saved the day." Mr. Devon looked genuinely concerned.

"It's our job," Maka smiled sweetly.

"Alright, alright," Mr. Devon surrendered. "But if I ever see you two again, you won't get off so easily."

* * *

Maka winced as she ran the washcloth against her thigh. Although she couldn't admit it at the time, she had really appreciated Soul carrying her. The gash in her thigh ached throughout her entire body. She was amazed that she hadn't felt the pain while in resonance. Her teachers at the academy had taught them that damage taken in battle doesn't take full effect until after resonance was broken, but she hadn't been expecting it to be this serious. It scared her to think about it.

She stayed in the hot bath for a long time, trying to ease all of the aches throughout her body. Her back had some bruising, and she had found a burn mark similar to Soul's on her shoulder. Being an akuma tamer was serious business.

As she strained to ease herself out of the bath, she heard Soul's soft taps against the door. "Maka?" he tried.

"Yes?" she answered in a pained voice.

"You've been in there a while. You're not dead, are you?"

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

"I believe in ghosts, didn't you know?"

"Well, I'm fine, so you can go look for ghosts elsewhere."

"That's too bad. I was hoping to see if Ghost Maka was as flat-chested as Human Maka."

"Go pick on someone else, Soul!"

"Poochyena."

"Huh?"

"That's my true akuma form, Poochyena. And my resonance is named Mightyena. So you can quit bothering me about it now."

Maka thought to herself before responding. Poochyena was a dark-type akuma, small, feisty, and… cute. Soul was a cute, fluffy, little dog. And his resonance was a cuter, fluffier, larger dog.

Maka bursted into laughter.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up while you can. I just pitied you because you don't know how to take a hit."

"Sure, Soul. That's the reason."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. You wear me out."

Maka giggled to herself. "Goodnight, Soul."

"Goodnight, Maka."

* * *

 **A/N: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT TAKING SO LONG TO UPDATE. My excuses are invalid. Anyway... Hope you enjoyed. I focused more of my effort into action and dialogue this time around. Thanks for reading!  
**


	5. Emergency

Maka awoke that night in a cold sweat. Her teeth were chattering violently, and the ache in her thigh had multiplied into a throbbing agony that radiated from her foot to her stomach. She gasped from the pain. She quickly tried to sit up and throw off her covers to inspect the wound, but the pain leapt into her chest, making her lose her breath and her balance, and she collapsed into the sheets.

The disturbance roused Soul from his sleep, and he rushed to her side. His face stoned when he felt the warmth from her forehead and neck. Desperate to see the wound as well, he pulled back the covers and awkwardly fumbled with the hem of her pajama pants until they hovered above her wound.

The gash was bleeding again, but this time, purple-colored pus was also leaking from the wound. Soul tensed in fear and horror, unsure of what was happening and what he should do.

Maka grabbed his wrist in a trembling grip, forcing his attention on her face. "Soul, it's a resonance infection. You have to call the ATA. Right now," she gasped out.

Soul's face hardened in understanding and he quickly ran to dig his phone out of his bag. Maka shifted slightly onto her side so she could glance at the wound. It was an angry scarlet color, with purple streaks surrounding its epicenter. It wasn't as bad as she had assumed from Soul's reaction, but it was still a critical situation.

He quickly returned to her side with the phone pressed against his ear. He began describing the wound to the person on the other side of the line, and after a few moment of silence, Soul gave the person the name of their hotel and the room number.

After what seemed like only a few breaths, hurried knocks rapped on the door. When Soul answered, two tall, muscular men piled in, bearing a sturdy, white stretcher. They crouched beside her bed and gently eased her onto the stretcher. Soul grabbed his bag and room key and rushed after them, even climbing into the emergency vehicle.

The responders drilled Maka with questions, and she struggled to find the breath to answer them. When Soul tried to interject for her, the responders looked at him with mild annoyance, and turned to look at her nods of agreement before scribbling on notepads.

When they arrived at the Akuma Taming Association, the two men heaved the stretcher out of the vehicle and onto a wheeled cart that had been brought out to meet them. Soul had to dash around carts, equipment, and personnel to keep up with Maka's stretcher as they weaved through the hospital wing of the Association. His mad dash came to an end when the door to the Emergency Room closed in his face.

He pounded on the door and screamed at the nurse in the office across from it to open the door, to which she replied that he would have to wait until she was out of surgery. When he refused to stop screaming, she closed the thick glass window and called security. A muscular woman appeared from around the corner and pulled him out of the wing by the shirt collar.

Confused at what was happening, and unsure of how to reach Maka, Soul did the only thing he knew to do: call Maka's father. Spirit had forced all of Maka's friends to take his number, and now it was a good thing he did.

After a few agonizing moments of silence, Spirit answered, "Hellooooo! This is Spirit Albarn here! What can I do for you?"

"Spirit!" Soul shouted. "It's Soul, Maka's partner!"

He had expected Spirit to respond in a goofy or exaggerated manner, but was shocked when Spirit's tone was even and serious. "What happened? Where's Maka?"

* * *

Soul's chest ached to see Maka in this state. Spirit had rushed to the hospital and gotten himself and Soul into the ER, and now they were watching Maka sleep from behind a glass window. She had several IVs strapped to her arm, and a breathing machine was resting against her lips. But what ached Soul the most was the huge bandage that wrapped Maka's leg. Blood was still soaking through.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

Spirit sighed and closed his eyes. "It's a complicated issue."

At Spirit's hesitance to answer, Soul pushed some more. "I need to know what happened, so I can make sure it never happens again."

Spirit turned to face Soul and he suddenly looked very fierce and serious, and his voice was very low. "Like I said, it's a complicated issue. We can't openly discuss it here, and I'm actually not supposed to tell anyone, anyway. I'm only willing to tell you because you're Maka's partner, and now this will affect you two for the rest of your lives."

Soul leaned in very closely. "What do you mean? What's wrong with her?"

"You two were attacked by witches."

Soul's blood froze. Witches. The beings of old lore and myth, beings with untold magical powers, beings that caused all sorts of misfortune and disaster. Beings that weren't supposed to be real.

"Witches aren't real," Soul shivered.

"Unfortunately," Spirit answered, "they are."

"But… How? How does everyone not know about them?"

"The ATA has made enormous- and sometimes questionable- efforts to ensure that this information remains completely confidential. If it ever got out to the public, it would cause mass paranoia. The world is still adjusting to the idea of humans and akumas living in a peaceful coexistence. Adding witches into the mix would only work against us. Besides, we don't know enough yet about witches to offer the public anything other than speculation, rumors, and more confusion."

Soul hummed in thought. He wasn't sure how to process this new information, or what it would mean for him, or for Maka.

As if reading his thoughts, Spirit added, "We have a limited number of cases of witch attacks right now. But so far, all of the victims have made a full recovery, and are now going about their daily lives as if the incident never happened. So don't worry. Maka's a tough girl; she'll be fine."

Soul nodded in mild relief, and exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"There's one more thing, though," Spirit added. "Now that this has happened, you two will be watched very closely. I don't know what the higher-ups will decide, but there's chance you'll be assigned a bodyguard, or you might be paired with another team."

Soul nodded in understanding, but inwardly groaned. The last thing he wanted was more people around.

* * *

Soul was playing on his phone and Maka was reading a book in bed when someone began to knock on the door. Four men filed into the hospital room. One of them was Spirit, playfully stomping in first and running to Maka's side, cooing over her arm. Another of the men was a professor; Soul recognized him from the hallways. The other two were unfamiliar, dressed in black and white, one tall and cloaked, the other skinny and refined.

"Spirit," the professor groaned. "While we understand your sentimental concerns, now is really not the time to pinch your daughter's cheeks. You can do that later."

"Sorry," Spirit whimpered, sinking back behind the professor's shoulder.

"Heya!" the tall, cloaked man chimed in. His abruptness made Maka and Soul jump. "I suppose I should introduce myself! My name is Mr. Grim, but a lot of people just call me Lord Death! I'm the owner and operator of this establishment! It's nice to meet you!"

"Wait…" Maka gasped. "You're Lord Death? THE Lord Death?"

"That's right, kiddo!" Lord Death answered.

"H-Hello!" Maka stuttered. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Death! I'm a huge fan of your work, and I hope to one day be half the tamer that you are!"

"Oh my!" Lord Death beamed. "I'm absolutely flattered, Maka! I'm sure you'll grow to be twice the tamer that your mother was!"

Maka smiled brightly at the encouragement. "Thank you, Lord Death!"

"Now, onto the issue at hand," Lord Death addressed. "In light of Maka's current situation, we have decided to pair you two with another taming team. Soul, Maka, meet my son, Kid!"

The skinny and refined man stepped forward, and upon a closer look, he was actually around their age. His piercing yellow eyes radiated controlled power. He also had peculiar white stripes in his hair.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Kid said.

Soul's stomach churned. He had heard a lot about Death the Kid, and he did not want this punk making his life miserable. He hoped Maka had the guts and pride to reject the proposal.

"I'm very flattered," Maka started, making Soul's chest leap in hope. "But I couldn't impose on Kid like that. I know he's already so busy with helping Lord Death with the ATA; following us around would only waste his time."

"On the contrary," Kid responded, "I am taking a break from helping my father, in the offices anyway. I have decided that I wish to experience working in the field, and do my own bit of research into akumas and resonance when on the battlefield. Don't think of it so much as me being your supervisor so much as we're mutually benefitting from the arrangement."

Soul's chest came crashing down.

"Hmm," Maka hummed in thought.

Soul knew what that meant.

"Alright!" Maka agreed. "We'd love to have you, Kid!"

Soul's life of reckless endangerment was over.

* * *

 **A/N: I made this chapter short because I didn't want a lot of jumps. The next chapter will be longer and I should have it done in a more timely manner lol. Thanks for your patience! And thanks for reading!**


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